


family bonding

by fairlylocalz



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 02:30:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12423222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairlylocalz/pseuds/fairlylocalz
Summary: Temari looks on as her husband and son play a game of make-believe. Can Shikadai coerce her to play, as well?





	family bonding

She leans her right shoulder against the wall, situated partially within the entryway of their kitchen, bright teal eyes gazing at the scene unfolding before her in the living room. Her husband, a man who towers over their three-foot-one three-year-old son, bends at the waist, grinning at the small boy who has extended his tiny little arms upward. He, too, sports a wide grin upon his face, mirroring his father in every way possible. Temari tilts her head slightly to the side, hands gripping at either of her elbows.

“Alright, little man, you got me!” Shikamaru says, grin never once seeming to fade. His large hands wrap themselves around the toddler’s sides, and he lifts him off of the ground. Shikadai’s laughter fills the air. “How could I say no to those eyes?”

Still giggling, Shikadai situates himself atop his father’s strong, broad shoulders, and leans forward, throwing his arms around Shikamaru’s neck. “Kaa-chan says I’m strong!”

And her son is right—he  _is_  strong; arguably the strongest child residing within Konoha. After all,  _she_  is his mother—the Cruelest Kunoichi, as her husband had dubbed her so long ago—and  _Shikamaru_  is his father. He’s wanted to follow in his parents footsteps the moment he had begun comprehending just what, exactly, a shinobi was. Even as a toddler, the Nara Clan heir has remarkable aim… with his soft, hollow plastic shinobi tools. His father is always more than happy to act as the so-called villain in their target practice make-believe sessions, and their son rarely manages to miss his mark. The toy kunai hits his father’s calf with precision, and the Nara Clan head dramatically collapses to the ground with a fake cry of agony. “You’ve won this round, Nara!” he cries, and though Shikadai is celebrating his victory against the evil missing-nin, Temari wanders over to her husband’s side and lies atop his back, peppering kisses along the back of his neck. It’s her way of healing her injured husband, she’s explained to both of the boys in her life. Knowing this, Shikadai is free to waddle to his parents’ side, giggling as he climbs to lie across his mother’s back.

His strongest asset against his father, however, are his eyes. The boy has his mother’s eyes—big, bright, and beautiful, as Shikamaru puts it. They are his greatest weakness, making it an impossibility to tell neither Temari nor their son [no](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2F.&t=YmNmNTZjNGFiNjYyOGQ1N2Y0ZGVlOTExZjExMGNmYzQ0YzMwOTg1Miw0cThHSmxqYQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AlGtqq43sFXnCjJYnbWHHtg&p=http%3A%2F%2Faprilkepnerz.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F166588183666%2Ftitle-family-bonding-summary-temari-looks-on&m=1). She’s learned to use her eyes to her advantage, and now it seems their son has, as well.

She’s a proud mother.

The absurd noises emanating from her husband’s mouth tears her away from the memories she’d lost herself in. Childish laughter continuously fills the air, mixing wonderfully with the attempted recreation of plane sound effects. With his arms spread wide, her husband runs circles within the living room, a big, dumb grin on that handsome face of his. Their son mirrors his father’s actions, spreading his small arms out to either side, giggling joyously as the two pretend to fly around the room. The scene—their son the happiest he could possibly be, and her husband continuing to be the greatest father—leaves her enamored with the family she has created.

On the third circle around the living room, Shikadai taps Shikamaru on the head, prompting him to grip at the boy’s ankles, and come to a steady halt. Brown eyes gaze at her with nothing but love within them, and she swears she’s fallen in love all over again.

“Kaa-chan,” their son cries happily, “play planes with us!”

“I dunno, kid,” she teases, pushing herself away from the wall. “Don’t want to make your father crash.”

“He won’t crash! He’s the bestest plane ever!”

To that, her husband’s grin widens. “He’s right, babe. I  _am_  the bestest plane ever.”

“Please, Kaa-chan? Please!”

“Yeah, Kaa-chan,” Shikamaru echos playfully. “Please?”

“Fine,” she sighs dramatically. Two can play the playful card. “I’ll play planes with you.”

Seated atop his father’s shoulders, Shikadai flashes a toothy grin at his mother, and lets out a cry of excitement. He taps on Shikamaru’s head once more, almost as though he is pressing a switch in his make-believe cockpit, and points forward. That is his father’s cue to spread his arms out once again, resume his ridiculous sound effects, and take off around the living room. Shikadai follows suit, and ultimately, so does Temari (though she refrains from making those  _dumb_  sounds).

Once upon a time, the Cruelest Kunoichi would have thought the idea of playing make-believe utterly ridiculous. Hell, she would have felt ridiculous were she prompted to spread her arms like wings and make the sound effects her husband is making. Now, however, the idea doesn’t bother her. She’s a mother now, after all, and it’s incredibly  _difficult_  to deny her son’s requests to play with both of his parents.

She falls in beside Shikamaru, running only an inch or so ahead of him, smiling as the three of them pretend to soar the skies. Round and round they go, zig-zagging and narrowly dodging one another as they circle the living room. Shikadai’s imagination is vast, and he’s been blessed with a childhood unlike her own; she is [alive](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2F.&t=YmNmNTZjNGFiNjYyOGQ1N2Y0ZGVlOTExZjExMGNmYzQ0YzMwOTg1Miw0cThHSmxqYQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AlGtqq43sFXnCjJYnbWHHtg&p=http%3A%2F%2Faprilkepnerz.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F166588183666%2Ftitle-family-bonding-summary-temari-looks-on&m=1) and able to love him as a mother should, and Shikamaru is the greatest father possible. It’s no wonder their son is filled to the brim with joy.

On the third rotation, she smiles wickedly, veering to her left. “Oh no,” she sarcastically cries, “I’m crashing!”

Her husband’s sound effects stop, and he is given only a moment to hum in question before she collides with him, gently pushing him aside. Shikamaru gasps in mock-surprise, and grabs Shikadai’s ankles. “Hold on tight, buddy. We’re going down!” The sound effects quickly pick back up, though they sound much more like a failing engine than a healthy plane soaring through the air, and her husband twirls. Their son has now opted to grab the sides of his father’s head, bracing himself for impact, though his laughter has only grown in volume.

Temari, however, has already taken her seat atop the sofa, watching in amusement as her husband continues the charade. He grows closer and closer to the couch with every passing second, only for him to fall atop the cushions, partially on top of her. Their son quickly scrambles down Shikamaru’s back, lying on his stomach, erupting in laughter. Instantly, Shikamaru joins in, and soon enough, so does she.

“Looks like someone got cocky,” Temari manages through her laughter.

“You  _cheated_!” Shikamaru says, voice muffled by the skirt of her yukata. “You know for a fact I wasn’t going to fight back!”

“Mhm. Whatever you say, babe.”

“Kaa-chan is the bestest plane, now!” Shikadai grins at Temari, lifting his head from his father’s back. “Sorry, Tou-chan!”

“Hear that, Shikamaru? The kid’s awarded me the title of  _bestest_   _plane_.”

Though she can’t see, she’s certain he’s rolling his eyes at her comment. “You crashed into me. If anything, that makes you the worstest plane.”

“It’s a battle tactic, Mr. Genius.” She places a hand atop Shikamaru’s head and weaves her fingers through his hair. “I made you crash. Therefore, the title of bestest belongs to me.”

She watches their son crawl up his father’s back, wedging his head between his father’s shoulder and neck. “Kaa-chan is the bestest, Tou-chan! Accept defeat!”

Temari grins.

“And if I refuse?”

Shikadai sits up and puts a tiny hand to his chin in thought—yet another thing he’d picked up from his father. Temari, however, has an idea in mind. She leans down, placing her lips at close to her husband’s ear as possible. “If you refuse, I’ll kiss you to death.”

“You will, huh?” He lifts his head, revealing the grin on his face. “Not a bad way to go… Oh, well. Guess I refuse to give up, then.”

“Good choice,” she smirks mischievously, pressing her lips to his temple. She straightens her back, and grabs Shikadai from Shikamaru’s back. “Okay, kid. It’s nap time.”

His lackluster attempt at stifling his yawn is comical. “I’m not tired…”

“Tell your body that.” She taps her husband with her elbow. “Get up so I can get this one to his bed.”

“I’m comfy…”

“So you’re giving up, then?”

That does it. Shikamaru is up and off of her lap quicker than ever. Temari can only smirk as she stands, Shikadai in her grasp. He’s nearly asleep—yep, he’s a Nara, through-and-through.

“I’ll see you upstairs?” her husband practically purrs, kissing the back of her neck.

Straight-faced, Temari wriggles free from her husband’s seducing antics, and with their son dangling in her grasp, most likely asleep already, she makes way for the staircase. For a split second, she stops, free hand gracing the railing. Over her shoulder, she teasingly smirks. “You’ll have to wait and see.”


End file.
